Pope Francis grants 'conditional freedom' to Monsignor responsible for 'Vatileaks II'

The Monsignor was sentenced to 18 months in July but was pardoned by Pope Francis.

Pope Francis has pardoned Monsignor Lucio Vallejo Balda, who was sentenced to 18 months in Vatican jail.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to Vatican Radio, Pope Francis commuted the Spanish priest's jail sentence and ordered his release from jail.

Vallejo was found guilty when a Vatican court decided he conspired to leak confidential documents to two journalists.

Vallejo and a co-defendant were accused of forming a criminal organization to help leak the documents but the courts found both innocent of the charges.

The documents Vallejo was secreting to the journalists implied Vatican bishops were misusing millions of euros.

The Vatican considers the publication of any confidential information a crime punishable of up to 8 years in prison.

Vallejo served over half his sentence following several trial-related hiccups, including an incident in which Vallejo was put under house arrest when a friend snuck him a cell phone hidden within a cake.

Luckily for the ex-Monsignor, Pope Francis came to the rescue.

The Pope granted Vallejo "conditional freedom" as part of the annual Christmas-time clemency.

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